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Wolfgang Mertens is known in the field of both introductory and searching surveys of contemporary psychoanalysis. In 1982 he published Psychoanalysis, an introduction to the subject with special emphasis on the theory of narcissism and the narcissistic disorders. In the same year he edited New Perspectives in Psychoanalysis, devoted primarily to modern developments in metapsychology.
The book here under review is an attempt to provide a clear account of the development of psychoanalysis through the use of particular key concepts. For example: approaches to psychoanalytic theory; basic psychoanalytic concepts; psychoanalytic disciplines (developmental psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic personality theory, psychosomatic theory, education, research on psychosis); themes related to psychoanalytic treatment; clinical psychoanalysis; applied psychoanalysis.
The survey is not exhaustive, but it provides a good overview of current trends, even where these are to some extent contradictory. A short and useful introductory bibliography is presented after each chapter. The book will thus be of interest not merely to beginners but also to more advanced readers. Of particular interest is the implicit presentation of a fragment of the history of psychoanalysis in the Federal Republic of Germany. Although the overview may not be complete, it nevertheless makes clear which authors have especially influenced the theoretical and clinical development of psychoanalysis in Germany, and which trends have predominated. To be sure, certain dangers become evident in those sections where the authors are less concerned with psychoanalysis and its applications than with underpinning political tendencies, for instance, under the catchphrase, "Psychoanalysis and Feminism," evincing the somewhat uncritical politicalization of psychoanalysis of the Frankfurt school.
Aside from this, the book offers a highly original survey of psychoanalysis and is, on the whole, of an even quality in spite of